Honoring National Crime Victims’ Rights Week

Every year, thousands of communities across the nation honor victims’ rights and commit to guaranteeing that all victims have the rights and services they need to recover from crime by celebrating National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, held this year from April 7 to 13, 2019.

The theme for this year’s National Crime Victims’ Rights Week 2019 is Honoring Our Past, Creating Hope for the Future. It celebrates the progress made by those before us as we look toward a future of crime victim services that is even more inclusive, accessible and trauma-informed.

The Department of Public Safety (PSD) has an established Victim Services Division that is operating within the Reentry Coordination Office. Some of the goals of the Victim Services Unit is to provide information, support and referral assistance to victims of crime and the general public.

In addition, PSD strives to coordinate with the community stakeholders to promote victims’ rights, ensure victims safety and support those who advocate on their behalf. Some of the programs that are in place include: Statewide Automated Victim Information Notification (SAVIN) System, a dedicated Restitution Collection Unit, Victim Impact Classes, Victim Offender Dialogues and beginning later this year the first domestic violence program aimed at educating offenders at the Kulani Correctional Facility on the Big Island.

Hawai’i SAVIN has been in operation since 2008. The mission is to promote victim/survivor and public safety by providing timely and accurate information about the status of detainees housed within any of the Department of Public Safety’s eight correctional facilities and the contracted facility in Arizona—Saguaro Correctional Center.

SAVIN provides notifications about custodial events such as: transfers within or outside of the state, releases (supervised/unsupervised/time served), escapes, or parole status. The notification section of SAVIN develops, implements and maintains a comprehensive statewide system and the training associated with those services.

Furthermore, PSD coordinates with vendors and service providers to ensure that those services are in accordance with timely notifications, HRS 353-132 and the policy/procedures of PSD. The SAVIN Coordinator is responsible to monitor and manage this system. You can find the SAVIN database on this webpage (click on the SAVIN/VINE banner at the top right of the page).

With additional funding through a VOCA (Victims of Crime Act) Grant and in partnership with the Crime Victims Compensation Commission (CVCC), the Department of Public Safety has also developed a centralized system for restitution collection and statewide operations which has been nationally recognized since its inception.

The core team of this unit, and newly developed Restitution and Victim Services (RAVS) staff, are responsible to ensure that payments are regularly collected and disbursed through CVCC for requital to victims of crime and/or their survivors.

The team ensures that restitution activities are being consistently managed for the duration of an offender’s incarceration. In addition, RAVS provide general information and referrals to all crime victims/payees or the public seeking other victim related services/programs.

The Reentry Coordination Office, Victim Services Division are available to answer questions that the department, community partners, victims of crime or the public may have.

Can contact the team though the following numbers:

• Restitution and Victim Services (RAVS): (808) 587-2550 and/or (808) 587-1344
• Victim Services: (808) 587-1386 ADD SPACE
• SAVIN (Victim Notification System): (808) 587-1356 (The free online notification database can be found online (click on the SAVIN/VINE banner at the top right of the page).